Creator
by Zerbinetta
Summary: You cannot change your fate. Yet you can try. And try I will, my dark pursuer. For I am the Empress of Time, and ever since I saw you in my visions, I knew that I would not die without a proper fight.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: I just had to get this out. I adore POP, Kaileena rocks da socks and I haven't seen a story like this yet. And no, I don't own POP or any of the characters.

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Ripples of water softly washed over my feet. The sand was soft and shifted beneath my weight, leaving small footprints that would be washed away very soon. I stood on the shore of an island, my destination, so far away from the places I knew during my childhood. It wasn't the wilderness and its beauty or the peacefulness of this place that had attracted me. It was the distance, the separation from the rest of the world. I needed nothing else, no one else.

It was perfect. My sanctuary for the rest of eternity. A safe haven. Even as I looked at the cliffs and forests, I envisioned what I could and would build here. Sand beneath my feet. Crouching, I took a handful of it and let it pour back through my fingers. Yes, I thought. Beautiful, perfection.

The last grain of sand fell from my fingers, and I remembered why I had come here in the first place. It was desperation that drove me away from the peacefulness of the world after I had left my home of Aresura, where I had lived in peace. Yet I had lived there alone. All my siblings, my friends and my companions had already left it for the known world, scattering into the world. And eventually, after centuries, I couldn't handle the loneliness anymore, and I entered the world.

This world I had chosen to enter was welcoming, everything I had imagined. The cultures of men had not yet realized their full potential, but I had heard of the great cities of Uruk, Ur, Babylon… the world was a wonder that I chose to explore carefully. Yet never did I encounter my own kind, my lost people, and my loneliness and my separation continued. I am not human. And now I was among humans, lost among them, yet still alone.

I traveled alone, seemingly a lone woman that was able to defend herself. I had no weapons as humans called them, but put my powers with the sand to full use. The more primitive attackers grew frightened and ran at the mere sight of the effects of my talents, and I was worshipped as a goddess, I discovered during my travels among the villages of the East.

The Empress of Time, they called me. But I was no Empress – I had no empire, and Time was no one's empire. I was simply Kaileena, the Daeva, Kaileena, the woman whose name no one knew. The villagers would say that my skin shone like ivory, my hair had never been cut and grew long for eternity and that my eyes shone like stones they called emeralds, those that had captured the color of the sunlit jungle. But I, in the days of my innocence, didn't care for such things.

There came one night when I had been forced to seek shelter in a temple, for I didn't want to sleep outside and a village was near. I had been a wanderer, one of many, and once I paid empty respects to the "god" of the temple, I was allowed to stay, like any traveler, in a wonderful room. This night, however, the temple had been empty. Before I could fall asleep, as soon as my head touched the bed, I knew that dreams wouldn't come that night. I often dream, but there is a difference between what I foresee of the future and real dreams. I felt drained, somehow, as if I were to fall apart into grains of sand at any moment.

The world swirled around me, and I knew that the Timeline, part of which was within me, wanted me to see something. I allowed it to take over my body, this shiver. Like a possessed creature, I had collapsed and saw images with my eyes open, images that only the Timeline can choose to reveal.

Sands pouring down an hourglass. Bejeweled. But the sands shone far brighter. They were the Timeline as I was the timeline, they were… they were I. The Sands and I were one. And three objects, like the Trimurti itself, belonged to it. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The creator, the healer and the destroyer. The staff, the amulet and the dagger.

A woman clad in blood sitting on a throne of stone, surrounded by Sand Creatures. Her mind was troubled, despite her power. And then, a man. I have never been in love or even interested in males beyond the recognition of their kind. As a spiritual being, I have never given myself to anyone I have not loved, and I have not loved anyone who I could give myself to. Yet this man, this human, I realized, was beautiful to me. Perhaps not physically – he was scarred and dark, with the appearance of a fugitive, an escaped prisoner whose pursuers were not far behind him. But his mind was beautiful, his soul, his heart. He was so determined, so focused, and yet, despite the danger all around him, despite the despair and hopelessness, he had hope. He believed he could outrun Destiny and cheat Fate.

All of my life, I had known that the Timeline is an unchangeable dogma, sacred, and I, being part of it, had to respect its wishes. But this creature knew nothing of the sacredness of the Timeline and thought that there must be a way to cheat it. Yet I didn't laugh at him. The images continued.

The pale woman had sent her creatures to stop him, but the dark stranger didn't fall prey to them. He had eluded all dangers, defeated his adversaries. And he stood before the red-clad woman, fearlessly, and he plunged a sword into her heart. Blood rushed out, darkening her dress. And she was dead. The stranger felt no remorse, no will, no triumph. It simply had to be done.

I awoke with a shriek, almost as if the blade had really gone through my heart. Yet as I looked down, I saw that the brown tunic I had been wearing was dirty, but undamaged, with no sign of red anywhere, no blood, no color. Yet I knew that I had just witnessed no dream, but a vision, and even as I fled the temple, I kept looking over my shoulder at all times, panicky that the dark man that would slay me was on his way towards me now.

I had stopped only once I was at the seashore. On my knees, I wept. Death was intended for me? I was supposed to die? But what, by the powers of the universe, had I done to deserve it? I, a spirit, a deity, was to die at the hands of a mortal! For hours I wept, knowing that there was no way to prevent what the Timeline commands. Yet despair filled me. As I had admired the man before, I now feared him.

But what if he wouldn't be able to find me, to reach me? I thought in desperation. I didn't realize that just as he would once do, I was searching for a way to cheat fate. I couldn't die! I wouldn't!

Before the sun had risen, I had created a plan. I would run, I would hide, and when the time would come and he would arrive, I would kill him. I didn't know his name, or if he even existed yet. The Timeline never lied, however, and it gave me the gift of knowledge as well as the curse of desperation. I would be ready.

I crossed the sea, searching for a remote location. And so I had come across this island. How divine it seemed. And how my eyes saw none of it. Escape was my only thought, and as my hand touched the sands again, I closed my eyes. Rise, my servants, my protectors. I would create you perfectly and you would guard me perfectly, never allowing the man to come, to see me, let alone to touch me.

My thoughts envisioned a warrior that would never disappoint me, a strong one. And as I didn't care for men, it would be a woman. One that would be strong, skillful, seductive to the unwary enemies and deadly. I saw her, dark as my pursuer was, and I created her first, from the sands of the island. Like a sculptor, I created her as I wanted to have her, and then the sands gave her life. I covered her with a modest garment which I knew she would never wish to wear once she would realize she was alive. It didn't matter.

She opened her eyes as I continued in my long process. Perhaps it took days, perhaps seconds, until my armies were assembled. They were creatures of Sand, all of them, loyal and strong, from soldiers to monsters, bestial things, but all with a natural obedience. The woman servant commanded them while I created more, brought me what I needed at all times and bowed to me at all times, like one would to a goddess. And that is what I was to their eyes.

How long it took, I know not. But once I was done, I rose and say that the foundations of what I had envisioned had already been built. My mind was connected to the sand and thus they had gathered what I wanted to build. And they asked in their minds for things they wanted or needed, and I created it for them. Clothes, weapons, fabrics, materials. All made of sand. All with the strength to last millennia. Once the connection was broken temporarily, they realized that I had awoken from my slumber and they rushed to me at once, on their knees, with a respect live mortals never have for their superiors.

And at last came the woman, my protector, clad in an armor that revealed her womanly figure more than enough to make any man with the slightest life within them lose their sanity, and she fell to her knees in front of me, her black eyes cast down, her weapons at her side, her hair falling into her face.

"My lady, my Empress…" she whispered, "You have returned to command us. We have done all as you want it, we obeyed your every wish. And we put our lives, such as they are, into your hands, Our Creator. We serve only you, Empress of Time."

Weakened, but content, I observed her for a moment, feeling safe after a very long time. There was lo lie in her, not the slightest, for she knew that her only purpose was to serve me, that her life belonged to me. And she would give it gladly, for she had no other purpose. Security, superiority spread through my soul. I was the Empress of Time.

"Rise, Shahdee." I commanded, my voice deep as the earth. She did so, her eyes eager as she looked at me. "You have done well. But there is much more to do. Much more I require before we can have peace on this island."

"Allow me to show you all, your servants await. But you are our Empress, you must have the best. The clothes you wear are not suitable for our Empress." she declared, staying humble. She then motioned to several of the creatures, and they brought with them a dress of blood red, with emblems of the Sands, jewels and weapons finer than those of mortal men. Shahdee looked very pleased. "We have crafted these for you, our Empress, you have shown us images of them – they are fit for you, our leader. Accept them as a sign of our unending loyalty."

I nodded in approval and allowed her to rip the brown fabric with a knife and throw it away as she dressed me with a care that was most uncharacteristic for her in the days that would come in the red garments, place the jewels carefully upon my throat and paint my face with the colors of blood. The Empress of Time was thereby born.

"You see your Empress!" Shahdee roared afterwards, and thus allowed the creatures to raise their heads at long last, as they had been looking down, unable to look up without my permission. Thus they had not seen my rebirth from Kaileena to the Empress, from the free woman to the entombed goddess.

"Empress! Forever we serve you, the Lady of the Timeline!" they bellowed, raising their weapons in my honor. "Your command is sacred, your will our law!"

My eyes moved from warrior to warrior, from creature to creature, and I finally looked at the unfinished fortress. A smile found its way to my lips. Not a kind one, however. I was no longer the creature I had been long ago. I was the Empress of Time, and my will was law. I saw the Timeline, I knew all. I would prevail.

My cruel smile was reflected in Shahdee´s dark eyes as they looked upon me eagerly. Even as I saw in my mind once again the image of the stranger meaning to kill me, a cloak wrapped around his muscular figure, his eyes, shining like mine, looking at the horizon as his ship sailed through a storm. We would see, you and I, who was stronger, I thought.

Then his hand reached to his chest, touching a medallion. I had seen it before. I knew it was mine, created by me, one of the artifacts of the Sands. But the time had not yet come. I was still safe... I knew. Even if the Timeline demanded the creation of the Three, it was not now. I had time. And I would be more than ready for him once he would come to me.

Yet even as I observed the building of my grand fortress, seeing him in a mind's eye, the words spoken to me and him at different times came back to mock me, and mock me they would if I tried to challenge them.

_You cannot change your fate._


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter would never have been written had you guys not encouraged me… I was going to leave this a one-shot. However, your support has convinced me to write more. Naturally, all is from Kaileena´s POV.

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Like a ghost, I wandered through the halls of my finished palace. The fortress on the Island of Time. The ultimate defense against the Timeline. It was impenetrable, immense, protected by armies that felt no pain and didn't die of old age. They obeyed me blindly and were ever eager to please. Each day I explored my creation, the cold smile on my face widened. Yet still I would gaze upon the sea from atop the garden tower, watching my creatures build boats and ships… and then my eyes would inevitably move to the horizon, search for any sign of an approaching ship. But my island was secure, no intruder ever set foot on it, not unless I wished it… and I never did.

Though the island was generally crowded, a feeling of loneliness radiated from my throne room, a magnificent room filled with statues and red tapestries, my throne, upon which I spent hours pouring over visions and dreams. Eventually, I discovered that perhaps a more effective defense against this threat would be to finish it off before it would ever become so great a threat, before it would reach me. With all my might, I called upon the Timeline to create portals of sand, placed at strategic locations around my fortress and near it, portals that would enable one to journey back and forward through time.

But I never left my fortress. Within its walls, I felt safe, safer than out. I began to grow proud, thinking that perhaps I might prevail. After all, I had become the Empress of Time and all "life" on this island obeyed me. I knew everything that was to happen before it even began, I understood things mortals could never hope to grasp. I grew cold and calculating, because I no longer felt the warmth of the presence of emotions. Alone, I turned my mind purely to survival. A great sacrificial altar had been built in my palace, where I could pay homage to Time. Each day, I begged it to change its mind and let me survive. I was faithful to my position as Empress.

Shahdee was, in a way, the only companion I had, but she was useless when it came to anything but battle. At that, she excelled. She had fulfilled tasks I thought would be impossible for a hardened warrior and never failed. The crueler I became, the more she seemed to respect me and agree with me. In a way, she was the embodiment of my hatred for the stranger who was to one day enter my halls and end my life without any reason.

Visions came and went and the world continued turning. For centuries, this unending circle continued. I reigned in my little kingdom, quite peacefully, secure in my supremacy. But at times there came the thoughts in which I realized that though my power here was unchallenged, though I had read books by the thousands, though I had perhaps outwitted Fate, I was still a prisoner. It was in that last year that I realized that I had not build a fortress to protect its dark mistress.

I had built a tomb in which I had sealed myself from the rest of the world.

In the end, it mattered not. I couldn't change what was happening. And it was not long before my visions returned to _him_. I saw him in conversations with an old man… running from a cloud of darkness that not even my vision could pierce… on a ship in the middle of a storm. His thoughts were directed towards me. He knew not what or who I was, only that he must find me. Strangely, he didn't know what he was supposed to do either. He knew only one thing – he must stop the Sands of Time from being created.

It was folly.

Never would he succeed! He didn't understand! And neither did I…

I am the Sands – creating them would mean destroying me. And the creation of the Sands had been foretold by the Timeline. It couldn't be stopped. My fear intensified. So soon… too soon. Much too soon. But what I had seen couldn't be denied.

I sent Shahdee to make sacrifices at the altar – for the moment, I was too frightened to even emerge from the throne room. But as I sensed the sands that made her form move closer to the Hourglass Chamber, I gathered the courage to go and meet her. Easily I teleported myself over the traps I had made for my protection. The entire castle was filled with them. I wouldn't be taking any chances.

Once I was beyond the last pole trap, I sighed deeply. My footsteps echoed as I entered the Central Hall with a swoosh of my garments. My eyes cast down, I wondered once more what I had done to deserve this. The entire fortress was on alert, sensing my concern. But still, I was melancholic. Why? I asked myself. There was no answer.

"Too soon…­" I breathed, coming to a halt. I couldn't bear to go further, not now. I had a plan and that was simple – I would send Shahdee to his time and she would kill him. She would succeed, I knew. I hoped.

I raised my eyes as her much heavier steps were heard in front of me. There she was, my warrior, my defender, with a grim expression on her face. "His ship approaches." She noted tonelessly as she stopped in front of me. "It is just as the timeline foretold." Her dark eyes closed for a moment as she bowed her head sadly. "I am sorry, Empress."

"You have done as I said?" I demanded briskly.

Shahdee looked at me with a strange look in her eyes, but nodded. "The crew is assembled and the ship is ready."

"Then go." I commanded. "I have activated the island's portals. You will travel to his time, engage him at sea… and kill him! Kill them all!" I was more than worth far more than their little lives. The few mortals that journeyed with him were a necessary loss. His ship would sink into the depths of the seven seas before it would reach my island!

My servant bowed, with a small smirk of irony on her face. Her tone matched it. "As you wish."

"I do _not_ appreciate your tone." I snapped, stamping my foot.

At once, Shahdee reacted as an insulted warrior should. She straightened up and pointed an accusing finger at me, her voice raised. "You know you cannot change the Timeline! You cannot change your fate!" the fool threw my own words, those that I had taught her, back at me, "Yet you send me on this doomed mission!"

And what was I to do? Surrender? My eyes flared up with green flames and I gave her a look that would make any sensible person shake and squirm at my feet. "If you fail and he reaches the island, you _will_ find death. At _my_ hands! Now GO!" I bellowed. The walls almost shook.

I almost thought for a moment that she was going to disobey! Her common sense was fighting against the idea she knew was irrational and impossible. Yet I was not trying to be rational! I was attempting to save myself! She could never understand. The fear of death looming over you, waiting. Fate that tells you that you will die, adding the date and manner of your death! Power! Knowledge is no power – it is a poison that runs through your veins quickly, weakening you when you believe you have so much of it that nothing can bring you down and, all of a sudden, you find that the elixir of life was a deadly draught.

My wonderful plans were crumbling and the first piece of the defenses had been sent crushing down. Did I truly believe Shahdee could defeat destiny? I don't know. The fact remains that I had trusted her enough to try.

I was restless. The walls of the throne room provided no comfort anymore. The empty hourglass I had prepared for the great ceremony mocked me. I couldn't stand it, it couldn't! Once more, I headed for the sacrificial altar to pray that Shahdee would succeed, that he would die, that I wouldn't need to resort to drastic means, that I would be safe.

I had just finished my prayers when rushed footsteps sounded from the stairs leading to the main floor of the altar. I turned, in panic, for a moment my senses believed it was him. But it was only Shahdee, uninjured, alive, but out of breath and distressed. Her twin blades were stained with blood and I prayed inwardly that it was his. She ran towards me, bowed her head and spoke, panting slightly.

"I tried my best, Empress. But he was too strong a fighter!"

My hopes were washed away like ripples from the shore. I couldn't believe my ears. I had to ask, dreading the answer: "He reached the island?"

Shahdee bit her lip. "Worse." I couldn't imagine what could be worse. "He followed me through a portal." My heart stopped for a moment. "He's here, now, in our time."

My senses froze. He was here… he, my assassin, my killer. He was here, on his way, likely having followed my clumsy servant through the whole fortress. I couldn't think. I almost literally saw red. With all my strength, I struck Shahdee across the face. The blow was strong enough to send her off her feet and towards the cool stone floor.

"How _dare_ you stand before me and admit failure!" I roared, my voice echoing in the great chamber. "You should have _DIED _to protect me!" I was slightly hysterical, but it didn't matter. She had failed me… he was here.

But Shahdee wasn't submissive, willing to please now. I had created within her a personality… one that was able to rebel against the control I had over her. "I'll not give my life for this foolishness!" she spat, "If you want to try and change the Timeline, you can do it yourself!" With that cry, she sprang to her feet and threw herself at me, swords raised.

Had I not seen these seconds a moment previously, it might have been fatal. I wasn't certain if she simply meant to shove me or to slash at me with her weapons, but I grabbed both of her wrists with my hands. She was strong… as I had made her. I knew it.

"After everything I've done! How dare you!" I shrieked, attempting to push her. But she was physically very strong and I only managed to stop her progress. We came to a halt, struggling in the middle of the circular part of the altar.

Footsteps on the stairs­… he was here.

I could only turn my head for a moment, but I saw him standing there, saw him live for the first time. Dark as the night sky, cutting like a blade through destiny, scarred not only physically. He was watching the scene silently, as if he didn't know what to do. Clearly, he had pursued Shahdee here.

Suddenly, when my enemy threatened to overthrow me, an idea crossed my mind. Perhaps his confusion remained­… perhaps I could use it! Did he know who I was? I didn't think so. But he knew that Shahdee was an enemy… and I saw a gash on his face that hadn't been present there during the visions I had had. Perhaps now, just once, he could prove to be an ally.

"You...!" I cried, my voice slightly humbler because of my struggle, "Help me!" I saw his face change subtly – he had been moved by that plea. But Shahdee used the moment I had wasted looking at him to shove me hard, hard enough to send me over the edge of the central area of the altar. I shrieked slightly, but managed to grab the edge. I couldn't teleport myself, because then he would immediately realize who I was. Of course I was prepared to do it if necessary, but I wanted to see what was going to happen.

I saw only Shahdee above me, raising her foot, ready to crush my fingers and send me into the abyss below. Then, however, his voice, filled with a righteous anger, reached me.

"Leave her alone! You and I have unfinished business!"


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews!

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I saw little of the following battle between my rebellious servant and my enemy, as I was constantly slipping from the edge to which I clung desperately. There was a moment within the battle when Shahdee managed to kick him away and start walking back to me, but he caught up with her with great speed and almost knocked her down with the force of his attack.

It was then and there that I finally saw what my enemy was capable of and how great the danger I was in truly was.

He was a great warrior, just as Shahdee had said, using two weapons like she and, once the secondary weapon had been shattered slightly, he threw it right at her and hit her in the chest, not fatally, but enough for him to stop her for a moment that gave him the chance to charge at her.

When their swords locked, I could see both of their muscles tense as they struggled to throw each other off. They froze only for a few seconds before his superior strength gave him the advantage he needed to knock her weapon away and give her a hard shove in the ribs, sending her crashing into the wall behind her.

Shahdee got up almost immediately, but I think she saw, too, that her fate had been sealed and the last thing she could do was see to it that I, who had put her in this predicament, would meet my Fate as well and fall into the abyss. But the Prince never gave her another chance to even approach me, let alone try to kill me.

He blocked her best combos with astonishing ease, delivered blows into the smallest openings in her defenses and had her beaten within a matter of minutes. Knocking her down one last time, the Prince raised his sword high and, with all his might, brought it to her uncovered belly.

Blood washed over the sacred altar.

But I was holding on to the ledge with the very tips of my fingers, struggling for any kind of balance. The Prince remembered me, clearly, because in a moment, I felt the grip of two hands around my wrists. He pulled me up on the first try, clearly glad that he made it in time to save me. But I didn't even look at him or the corpse of my servant. I had seen what I needed to see, so I immediately began walking away, trying to be casual.

"Wait!" I didn't. "Please… I must speak with you!"

I stopped and turned to him with a sad look in my eyes. If he only knew who he was speaking to. If he only knew what had been set in motion… I could have killed him right then and there, but I decided not to. One thing was that I wasn't certain that I wished to risk my death in a battle with him… the other was that he didn't seem to be the cruel man the Timeline had led me to believe. I would give him a chance to leave, I decided.

"What do you want from me?" I asked quietly.

A look of brief relief appeared on his face as he caught up with me. "I seek an audience with the Empress."

He hadn't recognized me! The relief was so great, I couldn't even place it. Such hope! There was yet a chance to stop this before it began. An audience, he wished. A strange way to put the fact that he was here to kill me, but I answered with the truth, accompanied by a little laugh: "The Empress meets with no one. Who do you think you are?"

"I am the Prince of Persia." He said with determination, looking me directly in the eyes.

For a moment, I thought I should simply tell him to go away… but I refrained. Arrogantly, I folded my arms. I brushed his introduction aside. "I see. Today is a very important day. She cannot be disturbed."

I was like a housewife sending visitors away from my husband, like the assistant of a builder or craftsman! But I didn't have the courage or the will to admit to him that the Empress stood before him.

Frustrated, he turned away and almost threw his hands up in the air. "I don't think you understand how important this is!" he said angrily.

The sound of movement behind us alerted us both to the fact that Shadhee wasn't quite dead. With difficulty, she sat up, leaning against one of her swords. The Prince and I tensed, but it was quite clear that she didn't have any strength to spare, simply did this to mock me with the tired smirk that appeared on her face.

"Fool…" she rasped, her dying breaths quiet. "Don't you know…? You cannot change your fate…" Shadhee collapsed then, and, at long last, turned into the sands from which I had created her… but with a great explosion. I clung to the Prince fearfully, knowing that her words were meant for me, even though he obviously thought otherwise.

The structure was collapsing, however – apparently, the explosion had had its effects. We raced down the stairs, but stopped quickly, because a great block of stone above us was about to collapse. We looked at each other briefly, still and waiting. And then, he made the decision for me. Grabbing me firmly by the waist, he tossed me to the platform when the other set of stairs that went to the right and the only exit from the room was. The block of stone fell seconds after I had landed on the other side and I brushed some dust off my sleeves to see a great gap between the Prince and myself.

"Stay there!" he called, remaining calm, "I will find my way to you!"

I looked at him. If he only knew that that was what I wished the least! But he had saved me, and I had to respect that. I could save him only by a warning and a headshake. "No, Prince!" I said, "Leave this place and never return! The Empress has no love for the world of men. She will kill you when she learns of your presence!"

I almost ran for it, but I managed to remain calm and make my way out of his sight. Only then did I dare to teleport myself out of harm's way, past the many traps. I teleported myself past the sealed door, hoping that the Prince would never find a way to open it. He would either die in the Altar room or find a way out… and leave, hopefully, as I had advised him. I hoped that he would be reasonable and leave the island now that he had revenged himself.

Shahdee´s last words still haunted me, even though I had heard them time and time again, echoing through my mind.

I summoned the Serpent Sword to me and went across the palace to seal the door to my throne room. My servants proceeded to help me at once and I placed them all around the Waterworks and the Activation Room, even the paths to them. Once the Throne Room was sealed, I wouldn't risk anyone opening it again… not that the Prince knew anything about how to open the door, despite his fighting abilities. Still, I didn't want to take the risk.

Once I finished that task, I made my way to the safest part of the castle – the Hourglass Chamber, protected by the greatest traps of the castle. There, I looked upon the bejeweled hourglass. I climbed up the ladder that had been placed next to it and once atop it, with a move of my hand, I filled it with sand. The countdown had begun, I thought. When the last grain of sand would fall from the hourglass, I would create the Sands, whatever might happen. I would fulfill this request of the Timeline.

The throne room was sealed and I planned to enter it through the secret entrance to my left once I would finish my preparations here. I had been preparing myself for this moment for centuries – I wouldn't make a mistake, not even because of the Prince.

The opening of the doors to the chamber startled me, the arrival of the Prince even more so. He entered the chamber, clearly alive and well, determined to complete his task. He saw me and I quickly climbed down the ladder. He shouldn't have returned! He should have left when I told him to, left for safety! This wasn't supposed to happen!

"This is a dangerous place." I said sternly, slightly angrily. "You should not have come back."

"I don't have the...luxury." he said uneasily but seriously, searching for the words. He was desperately trying to get me to understand. "I must see the Empress."

"Impossible." I said plainly.

"My mission..." he pressed on, slightly frustrated with me now, "it is very urgent. I must see her."

I walked towards him, now down from the ladder, and gave him a disbelieving stare. "You don't understand. When the last grain falls from this hourglass, the Empress will create the Sands of Time. No business of yours could be more important than that." I finished firmly, trying not to sound too commanding.

He frowned. "I have come to stop the Empress from creating the Sands."

"Then yours is a fool's errand." I was being very frank. "The creation of the Sands was foretold in the timeline. It cannot be stopped."

He seemed to be angered by the fact that I refused to be helpful. "I just saved your life." He reminded me darkly, as if to say that he could end my life right then and there… or perhaps that I should return the favor. But I was trying to save his life! "Twice. All I'm asking for is some information. Tell me where the Sands will be created."

I hesitated for a moment, but then I remembered that the door was sealed. I was quick to point it out. "In there... But the room has been sealed. You cannot enter."

"There must be a way." The Prince pressed on.

"Hah! You'd have to do the very fortifications of the castle." I shook my head. "An impossible task."

Not swayed by my words at all, the Prince said: "When a man is faced with his own death, he finds the impossible less of a barrier. Tell me how."

He was stubborn… way too stubborn. And the Towers would be his doom.

"Very well. The gate is controlled by an elaborate clockwork system located inside the mechanical tower. Even assuming you can reach the device and activate it, the machine still needs power. As water passes through the moat, the machine will receive power. But first, you'll have to fill the moat from the supply in the garden tower. Activate both towers and the door will open."

I looked at the sword in my hand and, somewhat against my common sense, handed it to him. "You'll need this. It's more than just a weapon. It also serves to activate a system of bridges which will grant you access to the other towers. It won't make a difference, though..."

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

I gave him a sad smile. "Succeed or fail -- the outcome is the same. You will not stop the Sands from being created. What it written in the Timeline cannot be changed."

He looked at me with the expression that plainly told me that he had heard such warnings many times over time. People had told him this… but he was much too desperate to allow it to dissuade him from trying. He was blindly determined to at least try...

It could be fatal for us both.

"Thanks for the...advice." And he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

It took quite a long time… but here it is! I'll update Mirrored Fates soon, too.

X X X

The passing of minutes, seconds... it was so agonizing!

I had finished preparing the hourglass for the process of absorbing the Sands. The Dagger, the Medallion and the Staff were secured and safe. Everything was going so smoothly… everything besides the Persian prince that was effortlessly slaying my servants in the Mechanical Tower. He had chosen to ensure that the device was in serviceable condition before trying to get power to it. The Mechanical Tower was a fortress in its own right and one that didn't know the paths or couldn't teleport themselves had an extremely hard task of finding their way. The pit of water beneath the clockwork mechanism – a kind of storage of unnecessary and used water – was a formidable sight. Death would await anyone that would fall there, because there was no way out of it.

But I thought my head would burst. My nerves were like strings of a musical instrument, about to be torn and broken. He was moving at an incredible pace and didn't seem to rest at all. I felt the creatures he had slain sink back into the sands from whence they had risen long ago.

I could almost hear the rustle of the cranks which he pushed and pulled, his grunting breaths as he jumped over gaps, climbed up ladders, activated switches… then, for a moment, I saw again the shadow I had seen pursuing him before. It was after him and it was quick. I didn't see what it was, but it was clearly a physical being, not all-powerful, because the Prince was able to outrun it.

It had to be the Dahaka.

The physical manifestation of Fate. The guardian of the Timeline, just as I was its Empress. Not a creature I could command…­ but one that could turn out to be extremely useful, at the right moment. But the Prince outran it, if only by seconds. I sighed in frustration.

I couldn't simply sit here and do nothing, I decided. It was way too frustrating, this pacing around the Hourglass Chamber. Helplessness was something I despised. And then, an idea came to me.

What if I would use the fact that he thought I was an ally? What if by aiding him, I could thwart his quest? What if I could kill him without raising a weapon, but rather… rather by giving _him_ the weapon, a weapon that would be ineffective, that would betray him when his need would be dire, just as Shahdee had betrayed me in my moment of need?

I stopped dead in my tracks. A truly wicked smile crossed my face, then replaced by one of a creature who knew salvation was at hand. I marched to my throne room through the secret entrance. I could still win! My supply of weapons was great and though I always fought with my preferred two swords, I knew how to use these weapons. Each had a name, a story behind them. I had already given the Prince the Serpent Sword, the means of opening his path. It was a good, strong weapon, better than that which he had claimed before.

The sword which I selected was the Lion Sword.

It was slightly more robust than the Serpent Sword and had a different handle. It showed strength. All the better, I knew. He wouldn't notice the hidden weakness so easily. I sealed myself in my throne room and levitated the sword in front of me. My garments and hair rose slightly thanks to the wind, because I created a whirlwind of sand around the sword. Magic spells weren't unknown to me – I was a powerful member of my own race, despite my relative youth. I was no novice when it came to curses.

I spoke wordlessly at first, simply through the sands, then in the ancient language of my people. I wasn't pleading the Timeline now, however. Casting a spell is a command, not a plea. And my voice sounded harsh and cruel as I forced the sword into the whirlwind, trapping it within it. The Sands surrounded it and began reshaping it.

_Let this sword be as weak as the hand that carries it is mighty_

_Let it break when the spirit of its bearer is broken_

_By the power that had been given to me, I command this…_

_Listen to your maker and obey…_

_No enemy shall be weak enough to succumb to this blade_

_No warrior shall be strong enough to kill with this weapon_

_From a traitor's hands you will be passed on and betray you will…_

_The Empress commands this…_

_My will shall not be denied and he will break beneath it…_

_Your wielder will be your enemy_

_The sword clashing against your blade will be your friend…_

_Hear my wish…_

_Let a curse be bestowed upon this blade!_

_All my power and all my will demands that this sword shall go to the hands of my enemy and betray him as I have betrayed him_

_Let this sword be the tool of my vengeance upon he who came here to slay me_

_A thousand curses and terrors shall befall he who will receive this sword from me!_

The whirlwind of sand suddenly vanished and the sword fell to the ground with a pang. I lowered my arms, which I had raised, and calmly walked towards it. I picked it up. I detected no change in the sword, but I knew that I had done very well. With the absolute certainty that the curse would be functional, I returned to the central hall, to wait for the Prince. I sensed that he was already on his way back here.

I saw that he had, as I knew he would, managed to navigate the bridges and enter the Mechanical Tower. My eyes traveled to the Garden Tower entrance and I fearfully clutched the sword. Dark thoughts entered my mind. What if somehow, he would truly succeed in activating the towers? What if he would truly survive and manage to discover that I was the Empress, his enemy?

Why couldn't he just leave me in peace?

Suddenly, I detected movement very close and jumped slightly. The Prince jumped from a ledge and landed several feet away from me, with a non-too-friendly look on his face. But he wasn't hostile in any way. Inwardly, I exhaled and put on a mask of indifference.

"Oh...it's you." I didn't know what else to say.

The Prince raised a dark eyebrow and looked at me slightly suspiciously. "You seem surprised to see me..." he said slowly.

But how could I not be surprised? He had endured what I thought he could never survive! I tried not to let it show on my face or in my speech. "Surprised only that you insist on prolonging the inevitable."

"Why...did you help me?" he asked suddenly. Apparently, he had been pondering that question for some time and wanted to ask me.

How could I answer? How could I ever explain that I wanted him dead or gone forever? But the real question was… indeed, why did I help him, I, his enemy? Surely not because of sympathy. But I answered truthfully. "I...don't know. I guess half because you remind me of the Empress, or who I wish she could be."

"What do you mean?"

"Like you, she knows her own fate." I explained, taking care to speak of the Empress in third person. "She's seen it in the Timeline. But where you fight it, she has submitted. She accepts it. They say knowledge is power, but I say it is a poison. Knowing the date and manner of her own death torments her. The closer it draws, the greater her pain."

"And you wish she would fight her fate, like me?" he asked, apparently surprised.

"Maybe it would give her something to live for." I said quietly. All these years, I had been awaiting this, dreading this… and now, I was explaining to him that I was, truly, already dead.

The Prince watched me intensely for a moment, as if trying to study my mind. What exactly my purpose in the fortress was, he had yet to discover, but I had the distinct feeling that he was beginning to think I was the only friendly creature on the island. He thought I was his ally. "You said there was only half the reason. What's the other half?"

"I have known my whole life that what is written in the Timeline cannot be changes. Yet something inside me wants you to succeed." I bit my lip as I said this. It was true. I wanted to see if it was really possible, to change one's fate, to defeat the inevitable.

"And do you think I will?" the Prince asked quickly.

I shook my head, unsmiling. "No. But I admire you for trying." And I handed him the new sword, without regret, without hesitation.

He gratefully took it, testing its weight. I turned to leave before he even got a chance to thank me. He had no reason to. And I didn't want to hear his thankfulness, anyway. I wasn't wicked by nature, really not… I simply didn't want to die. And hearing the honest thankfulness in his voice was very painful, despite my initial hatred for him. He was very different than I thought he would be. I began to wonder why fate had chosen him as my executioner – him, who, under any other circumstances, might have been the ideal companion and friend, who I could have taught much.

"Thank you. Your name..." he said, a little quieter, as I turned to leave. It stopped me. He seemed to have only just remembered that he had never asked who I really was. I sensed the apology in his voice. "I haven't even asked you your name. I've been so..."

"It's… Kaileena." I didn't even know why I was telling him the truth. But I hadn't spoken that name for such a long time… and no one had called me Kaileena for a very long time. I had been the Empress for far too long. Far too long. "You should go." I added. I didn't want him to stay, because I felt something breaking with me with each passing moment. "The hourglass is more than half empty... you haven't much time." I concluded quietly.

He nodded gratefully, respectfully, and in a manner of minutes, vanished in the Garden Tower. I swallowed dryly. I was afraid of him, truly afraid, like I had never been in who knew how many centuries. No longer was I the empty Empress of this island. Something had stirred within me. Fear, anger, desperation…

And a tinge of regret.


	5. Chapter 5

Well, this sure was a challenge… I mean, I haven't written a death scene yet, not from 1st person POV, anyway, so I quite liked this one.

X X X

How long did I stare at the Hourglass that was to be my destiny? How long did I watch the grains of sand drop into the lower half, counting the moments to my doom? All I knew was that it was an eternity of seconds, passing atrociously slowly.

I sat once more the dark cloud chasing the Prince and I hoped, prayed, that it would have its effect, that the Dahaka wouldn't be a failure this time. That the sword I had given him would perform its primary function and kill him, his own blade, betraying him.

I found myself slipping into the shadows, losing hope. Things weren't turning out as I wanted them to turn out. It was all coming down to a confrontation between me and him, just as I had foreseen in my visions, where there would be nothing standing between us but the blades of our weapons. But I wouldn't, couldn't, go down as easily as I had seen myself go down in my visions.

How could I fight fate? Could I run just as he had run from the Dahaka? But there was no running for me, I knew, no escape. Whether in a minute, an hour, a decade, a millennium, I would have to confront my fate… and face the outcome of that battle. I would either win or lose… and I wasn't prepared for the latter.

Every creature in the world instinctively fears death, wants to survive. What fault is it of mine that I had been born into this world and thus shared some traits with its inhabitants? I was different and yet alike, I was more and yet less connected with the world than the creatures around me. I was something foreign to this world that wasn't meant for my kind, something that had decided to defy the primary rules of creation.

Was I meant to die?

I sensed the rumpling of the machine in the Mechanical Tower as it came to life. I heard the gentle flow of the water in my gardens, but it brought no comfort at all. I was now frightened, afraid that fate might triumph after all.

And once he returned to the Hourglass Chamber, I felt my legs give away for a moment. But I couldn't allow fear to control me – fear led to haste and hasty blows often missed. He walked up towards the hourglass and I, gathering all my strength of will, did the same, wiping my anger and fear from my face.

He noticed me and spared me a glance. "Time is running low," he said with determination, "You ready?"

More ready than I have ever been and yet less than ever. I wasn't ready, I would never be. But I would fight to the death, fight the only way I could fight, through tricks and feints, using all I had at my disposal. It wouldn't be fair, but I had no other choice.

Together, we walked up the stairs leading to my throne room. "I've been thinking Kaileena..." the Prince said suddenly, with a kind of hesitation and gentleness that seemed unusual for him. "There is little for you on this island. And there will be less still once I've stood before your mistress." He stopped, turning to me with his honest eyes. It made me sad, in a way, to see his bold determination and know that I would have to be the one to strip the illusion away. "Come with me to Babylon! You'll have a chance to begin a new life, free from the evils of this place!"

There was no lie within him. This was his final proclamation of friendship, his wish to "save" me from this place. But I was the ancient queen within a tomb. I couldn't leave this island, not before fate would be overcome or before it would come to pass. Yet still I regretted having to continue the charade. The trap was set, awaiting its prey.

"I am sorry, Prince… but I cannot take you up on your offer." I said.

I walked off immediately, unwilling to face whatever disappointment he would feel. This wasn't supposed to be this way! It was supposed to be quick and painless, effortless! I entered the magnificent throne room, but went to the left, to the switch that activated both my secret exit and the main doors. The Prince walked in and gazed at the empty throne, perplexed.

"Where is the Empress?" he demanded, "Where are the sands?"

I didn't answer, merely pulled my lever. The door closed immediately, blocking the exit. There was more than enough space for combat here, we wouldn't need more. There was no way out now… and I would ensure that this would be the last part of the fortress he would see.

"What are you doing? You've trapped us in here!" The Prince shouted at me. I paid him no heed and turned away, renouncing all pity.

"I am sorry, Prince." I said honestly, but coldly, walking towards my throne. "But only one of us can cheat fate today!"

Slowly, I took the twin blades that were on each side of my throne, prepared for me. The best blades in the entire palace, the strongest, the most enduring, my preferred weapons. I took them carefully with both hands and crossed them above my head in a slightly ritualistic way.

"You... ARE the Empress!" the Prince bellowed behind me, finally realizing the terrible truth.

I turned around, smiling viciously. Now that I was no longer Kaileena to him, but the Empress, I could treat him the way I said the Empress would treat him. "I told you to leave," I said, my patience wearing thin. "And yet you kept coming back. I began to wonder… If you could change your fate, perhaps I could change mine!"

He fully expected me to lunge at him, I guess, so he was all the more surprised when I vanished in a whirl of sand and reappeared right behind him. It gave me enough time to land a kick – probably one of the first attacks in his life he didn't anticipate and thus didn't manage to block.

I threw him off-balance and quickly swung the left blade at him, blocking his still shocked attacks effortlessly with the other one. For the first few minutes, it seemed that I had the upper hand. But then he saw what advantages I had and how he could use them and I found myself receiving a hit that gashed my right arm. I grunted a bit and jumped backwards, breaking off from the fight for a moment.

I rose into the air upon a pillar of sand and focused my will on created two new monsters for the prince to battle, similar to the Crowmaster, in a way, but quicker and unable to rematerialize. They were unique in many ways, but not enough to stop him, it seemed, because I had to jump back to the ground and continue the fight on my own again. This time, I received a sharp elbow in the ribs and was sent flying a few steps back before I could regain my balance.

"I had hoped the Dahaka would kill you..." I spat venomously, "I had hoped Shahdee would keep you from the island, or that the towers would finish you off... I even cursed the sword I gave you and yet you DID NOT DIE!"

I lunged at him as I yelled the last words, but he blocked my enraged attack and kicked me away.

"Why would you do this?" he asked. Of course, I realized. He had no idea what a cruel mistress Fate was, that it had decided that both of us should be doomed.

"I already told you... I have foreseen my future: to die at your hands. But like you, I've decided to change it!"

I fought to my best ability, managing to fend him off and kick him away from me several times, but we were both getting tired. I had delivered some blows on my own, but I only narrowly avoided a tricky strike from him, so I decided to play it safe and create new monsters. After all, I could wear him out, I could kill him slowly. I had all the time in the world.

But he slew the creatures and once more, I only narrowly missed a blade aimed for my stomach by vanishing and rematerializing at the other end of the room. By that time, we were already panting, both of us, knowing that this attack might resolve it all, that this might be the last stand one of us is going to make.

"I mean you no harm, Kaileena..." he suddenly said, but I had some trouble believing him. "But I must finish this!"

We charged at each other, ready to deliver the final blow to the other, the enemy. Colliding, I felt some swipe at my midsection and a dizziness that rushed through me, a strange fatigue. My strength gave out and I couldn't run anymore. I had to stop, trying to catch my breath… but I saw the thick crimson liquid rushing out of me, matching the color of my clothes.

"You are a FOOL, Prince," I cried with the last strength I had. Shadows clouded my eyes and I began to see less clearly than before. "No matter what you do, you still fail! Just as I have tried, and I just as I have failed!"

A wonderful release into the darkness was ready for me, embracing and caressing me…

"I am sorry, Kaileena." I heard a faint whisper. But it was beyond my reach, beyond my grasp.

The world went dark and I lost consciousness, at least in body. For I am a deity, a Daeva, and though my body is mortal, I am of a holy race of immortals. But my bodily death couldn't be amended. Before my soul could escape my body, the world burst into one flash of light. Tiny particles of sand… that was what I became.

The Sands of Time.

Every grain and every particle… my remains, my body, a part of me. I remained alive and yet dead, my soul present in this world, because I wasn't ready to leave it yet. Possibilities for possible futures swirled in a mix of color and matter in front of me, giving me glimpses of what might or might not be. I saw the Prince in all of those futures. He was searching for something, running through the palace.

The Sacred Caves, the Dungeons, the Library… places I had never intended him to enter opened themselves up to him. I couldn't prevent it anymore. I wasn't corporeal anymore.

And then, in another bright flash of light, the future became the present.


	6. Chapter 6

After so long… well, I had a lot of work to do and I was gone for a month. I don't know if I should continue this story, because I suppose Mirrored Fates deals with TTT already and will deal with Kaileena´s part to some degree… anyway, here you go!

X X X

**Chapter 6**

X X X X

The Prince was already at the Hourglass when I entered the Hourglass Chamber, ready for him and anything he could throw at me, or so I hoped. Only the sound of my heels echoed in the chamber as I approached him, wiping all hostility or despair from my face. I found myself staring at the Hourglass alongside him. The Sands of Time. They were the bane of us both. And unlike the Dahaka, these couldn't be outrun or escaped.

"Time is running low," he said, almost darkly, "You ready?" We walked up the stairs together, I still silent, unwilling to voice my fears or my hopes. Both would be something I wouldn't be able to explain to him. "I've been thinking Kaileena..." he spoke up with uncommon kindness. "There is little for you on this island. And there will be less still once I've stood before your mistress. "Come with me to Babylon! You'll have a chance to begin a new life, free from the evils of this place!"

I looked at him, struggling to hide my surprise at such an offer… but it could never be. Death or life, that was the ultimate choice. "I am sorry, Prince… but I cannot take you up on your offer." I said, walking past him into the throne room. I positioned myself near the door switch once I entered, ready to throw the lever once he would enter and face the truth. The Empress and the Sands were absent from the chamber. Or so I would have him think.

But the Prince didn't even look at me as he entered the throne room, and when he did, it was a fleeting glance of ice. He continued walking towards the throne, the empty throne, as if he saw an imaginary monarch sitting there. I frowned, confused by this turn of events and walked towards him, even as he ascended the few steps and grabbed my prized twin blades, turning towards me with a determined look in his eyes.

"It doesn't have to end this way!" he called to me and, with all the strength he could muster, he took the heavy blades and threw them away to the left corner of the room, out of my reach, or so he believed.

He knew. I hadn't anticipated that. I had thought he believed me to be a mere servant of the Empress, a handmaiden at best, but then again, being the only human-looking creature he had encountered, save Shahdee, I imagined it hadn't been that difficult to figure out.

But then he surprised me with another shock when he didn't draw his own weapon, but took a step towards me and extended a friendly hand. "Come with me… into the present!"

The present! He knew so little of Time. What he believed to be the present was only one of a zillion possible futures that was being modified and adjusted to the new past and his intrusion into it as we spoke. But I didn't have any trust for any living being. I had experienced fear, anger, hatred. I knew that I had to be strong in order to survive. And surely his hardened soul hadn't lightened up simply because he wanted me to live.

"So you can kill me in your time instead of mine?" I asked viciously, unbelieving. Silently, I commanded the swords to come to me. They were my creations, they had to obey. A soft crackling came from them and they were flying through the air towards me. Effortlessly, I caught them in both hands, ready for battle. A vicious smile crossed my face. "I am sorry, Prince, but only _one_ of us can cheat fate today."

I charged at him, fully expecting him to attempt to block the first blow, but instead, he climbed atop my throne and raised his sword high. Only when the wall broke did I realize that he was attempting to get away. But what for? The portal behind the wall was inaccessible to all but me and I knew better than to travel through time myself.

I moved in to strike him, but he grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me to lower my hands. "Kaileena... Empress... listen!" the Prince said to me, firmly but pleadingly as well.

For a moment, I stared at him, disbelieving, but then I shrugged him off, "No, YOU listen.

The timeline has said you will kill me, but I will _change_ the timeline!" Pushing me off as I attempted to hit him again, he rushed into the portal chamber, waiting for me down the corridor.

I charged at him, knowing that now he had nowhere to run. With all my strength, I swung my blade at his torso, but suddenly, he had vanished from in front of me and I felt a brief weight on my shoulders. Half-turning my head, I felt his breath on my cheek even as I felt hands on my back and a strong pressure that sent me stumbling forward… straight into the swirling sand vortex in front of me.

I felt my feet leave the ground. I screamed as a swirling sandstorm surrounded me, obscuring my vision and I felt as if I were being thrown forward very quickly. I landed on my feet and lost balance, almost crashing into the ground. Wiping my hair away, I looked around. I was precisely where I had been… only the glamour of my fortress, the red tapestries, the sea of candles, the polished stone, all was gone. Roots of dead-looking trees and crumbling ruins lay around me. I was in the future.

I scrambled to my feet with a frightened gasp, backing away from the sand portal, stumbling clumsily, running away in panic. I knew I couldn't reenter the vortex and the Prince would be here within a manner of moments. I did the logical thing. I ran.

The caves I entered were dark and filled with fog. These were the Mystic Caves, an area of my fortress which I scarcely entered, because it was the realm of my wolf beasts. I knew my way through them, however, and I quickly teleported myself to the highest platform that lead to the ancient tombs. Over a pit I teleported myself and then reached the great platform where my griffin usually made his lair. But he didn't come. I was in the future. And, with all likeliness, if the Prince knew about the portal and had it activated, he knew about this place and had encountered the griffin already. That the Prince was alive was very clear evidence of the griffin's death.

But I stopped short on the platform. This was a perfect place as far as battlegrounds go. I didn't want to run anymore. I didn't want to keep hiding and remain frightened my whole life. Here, nothing could surprise me, here, I was still powerful. Here, I would be able to put up a fight.

Within minutes, he was upon me, flipping to where I was. As soon as he landed in front of me, he proceeded to speak instead of fighting. "I know what you've seen, what you _think_

You've seen in the timeline."

I was perplexed. But also determined. "Then you know I have no choice."

"There is always a choice, Kaileena!" He implored.

"Then I choose to live… and for you to die!" I said quickly, charging at him with my swords once again.

But… "Stand down!" the Prince called, " I do not want to kill you!"

I stopped feet away from him and lowered my blades for a moment. He didn't understand that will had nothing to do with this. The Timeline was merciless. Fate would find a way to fulfill itself. And I would find a way to avoid it. "Even if you do not want to kill me, you will." I reasoned. "The Timeline demands it."

But he raised his hand to contradict me. "No, Kaileena. You _can _change your fate. I have done so." I frowned, surprised. "A terrible beast was destined to take my life, but I have freed myself from-"

But something else caught my attention. Darkness emerged from above us. A creature obscured in darkness, in blackness, a beast with shining malicious eyes and bent horns. It was immense, with tentacles emerging from its mid-section. A fear crept through me.

"What is that thing?" I yelled as it jumped down to our level.

"No, no!" the Prince said to himself, "How is this possible? I stopped Kaileena from dying in the past! There are no Sands in the Hourglass!" Boldly, he charged at the creature and raised his sword… and, with an immense hand, it cast him aside with gigantic force. And I realized its eyes were fixed on me. I raised my swords quickly, but I knew it was useless the moment several black tentacles shot out towards me. I ducked one, but the others snaked their way around my arms, my legs and waist, preventing me from being able to slash at it with my swords.

I fought with all strength I had, but I was panicking. Teleportation was almost impossible, because I couldn't see and if I couldn't see, I could end up in the middle of a wall. Dimly, I realized that this was the Dahaka and that I was caught because this wasn't my timeline. I didn't belong in the future. And, despite being the Empress of Time, I was still mortal… and misplaced here. I was about to die and not at the hands of the Prince, though it was his fault.

I heard the Prince shout: "This is all YOUR fault!" and I thought I heard a sword cutting through something. Suddenly, the tentacles retreated, dropping me. I didn't waste a second. I bolted away from the creature before it could summon the energy to grab me again.

At the edge of the pit, I teleported myself to the higher ledge, my clear intention being sprinting towards the sand portal and making it back to safety. I knew very well that the Dahaka was invincible. Fate Incarnate. And then I suddenly realized that the Prince hadn't had the slightest reason to get involved. The Dahaka had cast him away. It hadn't wanted him, only me. And now, he had remained behind.

I chanced a look around and spotted the Prince battling the Dahaka. It was the impossible, really, and he was attempting it. Fighting fate… and he was doing it because of me. I drew a breath and attempted to figure out what to do. The Prince's sword apparently hurt the creature. But the abilities of the Dahaka were far beyond those of the Prince when it came to the physical. But then again, my magical abilities were more than a match for the Dahaka, now that I was free of the tentacles.

Gathering all power I could summon to me, I threw a whirlwind of the Sands at the Dahaka. The blow was powerful enough to knock it off the platform and into the water below, but the thing was resilient and managed to grab hold of the edge of the platform.

I took a step back. The attack had tired me but the Prince seized his chance and was upon the Dahaka at once. Apparently, he had utilized some of the abilities of the Medallion as well, because he was moving abnormally quick. It seemed that the monster was about to leap back to the platform, but then the Prince struck it with his sword, using all the strength he could muster. I teleported myself back to the platform in case there would be any need to support him and throw the creature down.

There was a frightening moment, but then the body of the Dahaka was sent to the pit below. We were still, the Prince and I, waiting for whatever surprise was awaiting us. Sure enough, the Dahaka rose from the water in a terrifying motion, but a moment later, it was sucked back into it, unable to prevent it. And then, it seemed that the darkness surrounding us lifted as the Dahaka vanished. We both exhaled loudly, panting.

Had fate been cheated?

I felt, after what seemed centuries, and perhaps it was, a smile cross my face. He had rescued me… for surely the Dahaka would have come after me. He had helped me cheat my fate. And now, the Dahaka was gone. Was it possible to cheat fate? Was it possible to defeat destiny? Perhaps it was. Perhaps our enmity was now useless, now that there was no shadow looming over us.

I approached the Prince slowly, causing him to look up from his sword. My smile puzzled him, apparently, but as I didn't move to attack him, he seemed to have relaxed.

"You saved me." I said, looking at him with a newfound kindness. Never during my whole long life had I encountered anyone who would have willingly sacrificed themselves for an enemy.

"I had… been attempting to do that… ever since we first met." the Prince said, panting slightly. He stood up, his height not as impressive when I was standing next to him. "Will you come with me now, Kaileena? There is nothing here but dark memories… memories of sad times. A new life awaits you in Babylon. I promise you that you will have everything you could ever dream of."

I lowered my gaze for a moment. After all, there was truth in his words. There was nothing for me here anymore. My realm was a graveyard as surely as my fortress had been a magnificent tomb all these centuries. I wanted to roam the world freely. And where better to start than in Babylon, with him at my side, no masquerades between us now?

"I had ships in the harbor in my timeline, but I doubt we will be able to bring them to this timeline." I said grimly, "And traveling back to my timeline would be risky – it could create another monster to come after us. I'm afraid we will have to go see if anything is left of the harbor in this timeline and build a ship for ourselves, if we are to leave this island."

The Prince nodded. "Where is the harbor? What route will we take to it?"

I looked up and smiled again. "This one. Hold tight. Don't let go and don't be afraid." Approaching him, I embraced him tightly and willed us to pass into particles of sand, just as it always happened when he traveled through time. But this time, we were traveling through space and staying on the same spot in the timeline.

In a moment, we were standing in the ruined harbor and I released the Prince. He observed me with a slightly admiring look, but nevertheless proceeded to look around. The ships were wrecks, but there were nevertheless parts that we would be able to use to create our own vessel.

With his strength and my powers, it was a matter of hours before we had a functional vessel ready. Within hours, we set out for a new future… for Babylon.


End file.
